Dear Readers,

The primary loyalty a school has should be to its families and the formation of young minds through the fostering of self-dependence, the upholding of moral codes, and the requirement of community service. Oftentimes, schools and school districts focus on academic and economic success, or even worse, the resolve to integrate and accept all walks of life, mainly at the expense of the former. In reality, a school must aim to foster moral and ethical growth in the minds, bodies, and spirits of its students, which, in turn, leads to academic and, subsequently, economic stability.

My Way or the Highway

Perhaps this saying has garnered some negative publicity over the years due to its somewhat aggressive connotations and overuse in authoritarian-style arguments and settings. However, clear expectations and the ensuing consequences for following or not following them allow for order and discipline.

Modern education and society have become too lax in setting universal standards and holding students and citizens accountable for them. In an attempt to be politically correct and not offend segments of the population, organizations lower the bar. This is never more apparent than in modern education, from K-12 public schools up through doctoral programs. Students are passed along despite failing core classes and exams; universities must offer remedial reading and math courses for subpar freshmen; and graduate programs lower requirements so students can attend and succeed when they otherwise would not.

What schools must do is set strict standards and rules and uphold them consistently, regardless of the students' or teachers' background. Simple yet effective policies, such as dress codes, no-pass-no-play, academic suspensions, and basic truancy enforcement, among others, foster the ideals that breed success in students. In more extreme examples, we see students who transition from no structure to an extensive one, such as that offered by a military school, experiencing a rise of nearly a whole GPA point and substantially higher college acceptance rates.

Providing students with structure and high standards encourages self-reliance, as it clearly defines what is expected and what they can achieve.

Entitlement as a Crutch

When schools and classrooms continually strive to accommodate every student, they create a sense of entitlement. By constantly adding to a student's 504 or IEP (Individualized Education Program), we send the message that the world must change for them and that they must rely on others for success. While special education programs have their uses, their reach extends beyond original intentions. Students who have been given excessive accommodations often cite them as a reason for their academic or behavioral failures. Conversely, students without accommodations speak of unfairness and implore that they be treated equally and fairly, or risk not trying and acting out.

However, implementing and upholding firm expectations cultivates grit and responsibility. Take, for example, St. Brendan High School in Florida, which requires each of its students to complete 100 hours of community service over the course of four years to graduate. Yielding roughly 65,000 hours of annual service, this policy embodies charity in action, as opposed to charity in thought. Teaching students “what can I do for others” instead of “what can others do for me” is crucial in the formation of young minds.

Traditional Solutions

By constantly accommodating and catering to students, teachers, and families based on their abilities, preferences, and cultures, we create an environment of low standards. When we constantly change standards and tweak policies to be more inclusive, we send the message that students should not be self-reliant, and a very selfish and individualistic mindset is encouraged.

Campuses of all ages should require students to serve their communities, adhere to strict academic and behavioral standards, while fostering personal responsibility and utilizing the classical Western canon to teach the morals that have shaped the society we know and love.

There’s no denying that each student is their own person and comes from a different family with its own traditions and ways of doing things. That’s fine and even encouraged; diversity of thought propelled society forward. But the diversity of goals and morals divides us.

Schools have the opportunity to unite and improve the American people like no other governmental institution can. However, without a universal goal rooted in tradition and morality, schools across the country and the world will continue to fail.

Genuine diversity of thought and a proper understanding of right and wrong, as well as the virtues of society, come through mastering the basics and learning Western tradition. A society must be grounded in its citizens’ character, a point that is never more relevant than in discussions of how we educate them.

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Thanks for reading!

I appreciate you taking the time to engage with these ideas. I hope this newsletter gave you something to think about.

If you want to go deeper, check out my reading list, where I share the books that have radicalized me.

Also, I have a podcast called The Modern Republic. On this podcast, I see how many times I can say "um" or "whatever you want to call it" in a thirty-minute window. It's a great time.

This week's episode:

Ep. 017: What Schools aren’t Doing, But Should!​
In this episode, I explore why lifelong learning, moral formation, and higher standards in education are more important now than ever.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Watch on YouTube.

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